A review of SLN Hotel/Mudanna Hotel by Rakshith Pai
Location: #45/2, Sunkalpet Main Road, Bengaluru 560 002, near Sharada Cinemas.
SLN Hotel, named after Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy is located in the inner realms of old Bengaluru at Cubbonpete, and is also commonly known as Mudanna Hotel. The name comes from the founder of the place, Mr. Mudanna, who started this Pure Veg establishment in the year 1968, around 50m from the present restaurant. Around 5 decades later, Mudanna’s sons and grandsons have upheld the same tradition and taste of the restaurant with its pocket friendly prices and the impeccable taste that makes you go for seconds in no time. The present shop is run by the third generation family members, with ‘branches’ being handled by brothers and relatives from as close as 100m away, up till Gandhi Bazaar, Basavangudi.
One would never see this place empty, with people from all walks of life indulging in breakfast and lunch from as early as 7:00 AM till 3:00 PM on weekdays, and from 7:00 AM till 1:00 PM on Sundays. The highlight of this place is the ‘Pulav’ (and this is not the same as the North Indian variant of ‘Pulao’), which is again widely known as Mudanna Pulav. Served piping hot on a banana leaf and a paper plate, the Pulav is served with chutney which tastes amazing and a delight to the tastebuds. One could say that you may forget your Dum Biryani after having a bite of this Pulav. Though the Pulav is their signature dish, they also serve the famous Acrey Idli (Idlis that are bigger than Thatte Idlis), Dosas, Lemon Rice (Chithranna), Tamarind Rice (Puliogare) and Curd Rice. To top it all, they also provide combos which go by famous Rajkumar Movies like Shankarguru (Two Items), Trimurthy (Three Items) and Chaturmukha(Four Items), for those who wish to have a bite of all the items in store. Being a family establishment, the food tastes home-made and warms not only your belly, but also your soul. The ambience is not the best out there, with primary seating in benches (if you get a seat that is) and crowds through the day, but we assure you that the food makes up for it. What is also unique, and probably a signature system they follow is their manner of parcelling, where the items are wrapped in cones and given for you to savour on-the-go.
Price: The Rice Dishes are all priced at Rs. 40 for a plate of heavenly goodness, and the combos range from Rs. 40 to Rs. 55. One can get a half plate of rice for as low as Rs. 30 as well, but we bet you wouldn’t stop at half. The Idlis and Dosas also range from Rs. 30 to Rs. 40. Children under the age of 15, and Senior-Citizens above the age of 60 are served freshly made rice items for as low as Rs. 15 (This Scheme was started by Mr. Mudanna, who was originally giving food for free to Children and Senior Citizens.)
Overall Verdict: The place is MUST VISIT for people who love a good rice dish, and for people who wish to savour the true taste of old Bengaluru. Though this place might not get the same hype or fame as that of CTR, Vidyarthi Bhavan or Veena Stores, we assure you that this would surely be your weekend breakfast ritual in no time.
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Rakshith Pai is a food enthusiast who believes that one must judge a place by the street food it serves.
pocket friendly Food 